With most of New Orleans under a boil-water advisory Saturday afternoon (Nov. 17), the city’s electricity utility disclosed that a vehicle had hit a power pole near the Claiborne Avenue water plant in the morning, affecting a circuit feeding the plant. It was not immediately known whether the wreck itself caused the Sewerage & Water Board plant to lose power, resulting in a loss of water pressure and the boil order.

Entergy New Orleans said a vehicle hit and broke a utility pole on Claiborne between Joliet and Leonidas streets early Saturday around 4:15 a.m. “While there are multiple circuits that feed the S&WB at this location, we are working with key S&WB operations personnel to understand and address the nature of the power disruption,” an Entergy spokesman said at midday.

The Sewerage & Water Board did not immediately respond to inquiries about the crash. The entire east bank of New Orleans was warned at 7:41 a.m. to boil tap water before drinking it, after pressure dropped in the water distribution system.